The deadline for a federal appeals court to rule on the state’s controversial voter ID law is fast approaching. The U.S. Supreme Court gave the court until July 20 to make a decision about whether the law violates federal civil rights law. But, no matter what happens, this likely isn’t the end of this legal battle. First of all, the fact that the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals even has a deadline on this is the first indicator that this case is pretty unique. “Rarely does a circuit court get told by the Supreme Court to decide something by a particular date,” says Joseph Fishkin, a professor at UT Austin’s School of Law. He says there’s a lot that’s novel about this case.
For one, this is a test of Section Two of the Voting Rights Act, the provision that prohibits states and local governments from setting laws that discriminate against minorities. The last few times people have challenged voting procedures using this part of the law, it’s been for how political districts are drawn. But, as Fishkin says, this case is about who can vote and who can’t.
“That set of issues hasn’t been adjudicated under Section Two before. So, that’s why I think most observers agree that one way or another, whether it’s the Texas case or the North Carolina case, that question will go up to the Supreme Court.”
Full Article: Deadline Approaches for Texas Voter ID Law, But It Likely Won’t End the Legal Battle | KUT.
